Left-hand pattern · Pop heartbeat
Tick-tick-boom pulse
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass, 8ths 1-2, 3-4.
Want to mix it with other hands?
How Tick-tick-boom pulse goes
One bar over a C chord: a row for each key, a column for each step, the finger on each note. Over another chord, move the same shape to its root.
Root bass rhythm: Just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
Songs with Tick-tick-boom pulse
Each one opens with this pattern in its player.
Often comes next
The patterns songs move to after Tick-tick-boom pulse, from verse to chorus.
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All patternsQuestions about Tick-tick-boom pulse
What is Tick-tick-boom pulse on piano?
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass, 8ths 1-2, 3-4, one of the root bass rhythm patterns: just the lowest note, played in a rhythm you can dance to.
How do I play root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 with the left hand?
Over C major it is C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (1), then C3 (5), then C3 (5), then C4 (1); the number after each note is the finger (1 is the thumb). Over any other chord, move the same shape to that chord's root.
What songs use Tick-tick-boom pulse?
It is heard in 479 songs of the library, as the main groove of 235 songs, such as Take On Me, I Shot The Sheriff, This Christmas, Battlefield.
Is Tick-tick-boom pulse easy?
It is a medium pattern, in 4/4, usually around 96 beats a minute.